Congratulations to our Special Bluegrass Correspondent, John Goad. Yesterday (12/15) he graduated from East Tennessee State University, along with four other students, with a bachelor's degree in Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music Studies. Goad graduated with a dual major, accepting a history
Ty Piper, founder of Imperial Banjos, passed away on December 5, 2012 at his home in Idaho. He was 64 years old. During the 1970s and early '80s he built banjos from his shop near Oklahoma City. These were true shop-built
John Driskell Hopkins, bass player with the Zac Brown Band, has teamed up with Balsam Range to record an album of his original music, Daylight, which will be independently released on January 22, 2013. The bulk of the music is performed with
California is about as far from New York as you can get in the US, but people there were as struck by the personal tragedies following Tropical Storm Sandy as were the rest of us who escaped unscathed. A group of
Steve Groat, who established the Aiken Bluegrass Festival in 2004 with his wife, Jeannie, died on Tuesday (12/11). He was 67 years old, and had been vigorously battling cancer this past 9 years. The festival is held in Aiken, SC and
Noted Tennessee fiddler Carl Franklin passed away on Tuesday (12/11) after suffering a massive stroke at his home in Hendersonville on Monday. He was 58 years old. Carl was a fixture on the fiddle contest circuit, where he claimed many championships,
The Churchmen have announced that Freddy Rakes, their long time banjo picker, is moving on. After 23 years with the group, Rakes wants to slow down a bit and do shows with his kinfolk in The Rakes Family, a bluegrass Gospel
Virginia songwriter Kelley Nelson has released a single ahead of her upcoming album, In The Waiting. The song is The Son is Always With Me in the Mine, written by Sandy Shortridge. Steve Gulley produced the all-Gospel project, which was recorded at his
Tragic news this morning from a bluegrass icon. James King's 18 year old daughter, Shelby Ann, was killed last night in an automobile accident in Amelia County, VA. According to Julie King, James' wife and Shelby's stepmother, Shelby was driving home
This remembrance of a prominent figure in the Dutch bluegrass community is a contribution from Pieter Groenveld. Bé Holdtman: 1943 – 2012 I’m very sorry to report that one of the most productive bluegrass concert organizers in Holland, Bé Holdtman passed away on
